Adjustable Water Inlet Arrangement for Aquaculture Tanks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current water inlet arrangements in fish tanks suffer from suboptimal water flow distribution, leading to gradients of oxygen and metabolic wastes, reduced self-cleaning, and uneven distribution of food particles, due to fixed openings and lack of adjustable flow control.
Innovation Solution
A water inlet arrangement featuring an inner pipe with adjustable openings and an outer pipe that creates turbulence, allowing for equalized water pressure and independent adjustment of flow and circulation speed, using a shield to prevent gas bubble coalescence and enhance mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fixed openings are used in the inlet arrangement, then the structure is simple, but the water flow distribution is suboptimal leading to gradients of oxygen and metabolic wastes
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet arrangement uses adjustable openings that can be modified to optimize water flow distribution. The openings can be adjusted to change the flow rate and direction, allowing adaptation to different operational requirements while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows changing parameters such as opening size and position to optimize water flow characteristics. By adjusting these parameters, the system can achieve homogeneous distribution of water, oxygen, and removal of metabolic wastes without requiring a completely complex structure.
2Ease of operation
If no adjustable flow control is provided, then the device is simple, but the distribution of food particles and oxygen is uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet arrangement incorporates adjustable components that enable dynamic control of water flow. This allows operators to optimize food particle and oxygen distribution according to specific needs while keeping the overall device design relatively simple.
3Productivity
If high hydraulic energy is used, then water flow rate is high, but fish deformities occur due to excessive jet impact
Solution Approach 1:
The water flow is divided into multiple smaller jets through the use of multiple openings in the inlet arrangement. This segmentation reduces the impact force of each individual jet on the fish, preventing deformities while maintaining an overall high water flow rate for adequate oxygenation and waste removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The openings are strategically positioned and sized to create localized flow patterns that are appropriate for different regions of the tank. This ensures that high flow rates are achieved where needed for oxygenation, while fish areas are protected from excessive jet impact.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If low hydraulic energy is used, then fish are protected from impact, but self-cleaning capability and oxygen distribution are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple openings create numerous small water jets that collectively provide sufficient hydraulic energy for self-cleaning and oxygen distribution. The segmented approach distributes the hydraulic energy throughout the tank, ensuring adequate flow for waste removal and oxygenation without creating excessive impact on fish.
Solution Approach 2:
The inlet arrangement utilizes hydraulic principles to optimize water flow characteristics. By carefully designing the opening positions and sizes, the system achieves efficient water circulation, oxygen distribution, and waste removal while maintaining fish safety from excessive impact.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design ensures homogeneous water circulation, efficient oxygen distribution, improved self-cleaning, and flexible flow adjustment, reducing deformities and degassing issues, while maintaining equal water flow and energy across the tank.
Implementation Method 1
The holes/openings in the inner pipe 'shoots' the water out in to the volume of the outer pipe and creates a circulation/rotation/turbulence. The water from the inner pipe hits the wall of the outer pipe at a given velocity (preferably at a velocity >2 m/sec.). This forces the water to deflect and start a rotation/turbulence in the outer pipe
Implementation Method 2
The induced rotation prevents the gas bubbles in the water flow from combining to form larger gas bubbles (coalescence). This will increase efficiency and transfer speed between gas and liquid.
Implementation Method 3
Give self cleaning in the tank regarding waste products (faeces etc.).
Implementation Method 4
Good and even distribution of feed particles in the tank. Good and even distribution and mixing of oxygen in the tank.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a water inlet arrangement for the use in fish tanks in aquaculture, including a pipe to feed water into the tank, the pipe having a plurality of openings and, for a better adjustment of the flow, a surrounding second element having a plurality of openings and/or a fixed or adjustable shield are provided.